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Dunn makes fast impression on Reds
Cardinals Mr. Fix-It Albert Pujols appears a lock for the National League Rookie of the Year award. That is, unless Astros right-hander Roy Oswalt gets to 16 or 17 wins and steals it away. But there's a third impressive rookie in the NL Central, and he might be having the best overall season of any first-year player. Only problem is, the first 3 1/2 months of Adam Dunn's season were spent rampaging through the minor leagues. Dunn had 13 homers in his first 44 games with the Reds. This outburst came after he began the year with 12 homers in Class AA, then hit 20 in Class AAA. Toss in a homer at the Futures Game and two more at the Class AAA All-Star game, and the Bunyanesque Texan was sitting on 48 homers with more than three weeks to go. Gary Hughes, Cincinnati's director of pro scouting, says one player comes to mind when he watches Dunn. " Larry Walker, " says Hughes, who watched Walker up close as a former Rockies and Expos executive "He's not as good a player and doesn't have the instincts of a Larry Walker, but he reminds me of Larry Walker at the plate. It's because of his approach and obviously the power, plus his demeanor, both on and off the field." Hughes qualifies his comparison by noting that while Walker wins Gold Gloves for his right field play, Dunn is still a work in progress in the outfield. After starting out in right, Dunn has moved to left, where his throws won't be as long. Still, Hughes and the Reds like what they see so far from the 6-6, 235-pound ex-quarterback recruit at the University of Texas. "[Dunn] is not a good outfielder but he's getting better," Hughes said. "He's got a very good arm. He'll hit for average. Left-hander, right-hander, he's not bothered, similar to Walker. I'm not trying to pin on him that he's going to be another Larry Walker. Walker does a lot more things and is an outstanding outfielder. But that's the guy [for comparison]." Dunn, interestingly, was hitting nearly 50 points higher against lefties than against right-handed pitchers. He also has shown advanced strike-zone recognition for a 21-year-old, drawing more walks in his first seven weeks than Brian Jordan, Fernando Vina and Brad Ausmus have drawn all year.
SayanoraNow that Hideki Irabu has flamed out in Montreal, we can close the book on one of the game's biggest busts in years.Irabu is just 32 but he appears finished on this continent after he reportedly wound up in a Buffalo hospital after going on a drinking binge before yet another rehab start. One Expos official confirmed the report, and said the shame of it was that Irabu was finally showing some progress on the mound. "It seemed like he had dropped some weight, it seemed like he got more velocity and quickened his arm speed," the official said. "His fastball was back up to 91-92 mph, which wasn't where it used to be, but it was the first time he got out of the 80s with us" Irabu could return to Japan, where he starred for nine seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines, earning a worldwide reputation as the Japanese Nolan Ryan. But once he arrived in North America, Irabu never shared Ryan's work ethic or fastball. He posted a five-year record of 31-27 with a 5.09 ERA for the Yankees and Expos. "I would doubt another team over here would sign him but who knows," the official said. "I don't know how much desire he has in him to pitch well, how much hunger he has to excel. He takes that laid-back attitude and it shows on the mound. You can always accept one bad year, but this was just a total package of failure. He blew it."
All in the familyDodgers closer Jeff Shaw insists he is serious about possibly walking away from the game at season's end to spend more time with his young family.When Shaw stops off in Washington Courthouse, Ohio, on Monday's off day, en route from St. Louis to San Diego, it will mark the only day he'll see his family in the season's final six weeks. Wife Julie and their three children -- Travis, 11; Molli, 6; and Griffin, 2 -- spend the summers in Los Angeles but return home once school starts. "You always think that baseball is first and your career is first," said Shaw, whose 39 saves were tied with Robb Nen for best in the NL. "In this game, it usually is. Baseball's first and your family is second. That's just the way it is. But when you get older, I think it kind of changes gears. It goes back to the family. One of these days your baseball career is going to be over. It's inevitable. It's going to end, and what are you going to have? That's the way I look at it." Shaw is 35 and in the last year of a three-year deal with a team option for next season at $7.05 million. There is a $1.5 million team buyout, or Shaw can reject the option, take a reduced buyout of $1 million and become a free agent. If he goes back home to Ohio, he would like to coach the freshman basketball team at his old high school, which he did for seven winters while he was working his way up through the minors. He also would like to do simple things, like watch Travis play Little League baseball. "I went to his orientation for middle school on an off day [in mid-August]," Shaw said. "I looked at him and thought, 'Sixth grade. You know what? I've got six more years with this kid and he's going to be gone.' No amount of money, no 50-save season is ever going to bring that back." Mike Berardino covers the baseball beat for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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